Boosting Italian language skills in a dynamic way

​… And what a better place than Bologna in Italy to do so? 

​Whether for teaching students, communicating with migrant children that first stopped in Italy, or to implement a partnership with Italian schools, teachers might have the need to improve their Italian skills. Plus, in our connected and multicultural world, the knowledge of several languages is always a valuable strength. 

​The new course “Intensive Italian Language Course for Education Staff'' designed  by ELA trainers took place in Bologna from 25/07/2022 to 30/07/2022. The participants, who came from different European countries, were divided into basic A1/A2 and intermediate B1/B2 level groups, with Ivonne and Gudula from BG Rein in Austria, Sonja from Herderschule Gießen in Germany, Begoña from IES Antonio Buero Vallejo in Spain, and Fabio, Justine, Céline, Benjamin and Nadège from Drareic Besançon in France.

​The course was an immersive experience in Italian culture and language through dynamic and practical lessons but also activities in Bologna, a culturally rich and diverse city filled with traditional food and historical buildings. During the lessons, the groups had the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics in Italian, thereby practicing the language and progressively feeling more comfortable in speaking it. They actually improved all aspects of the language with tasks combining comprehension and expression in writing and speaking. 

In between grammar points about tenses, conjugation, adverbs and vocabulary lessons, the participants happily immersed themselves in activities about work, culture, travel, hobbies, dreams, and public speaking. All the activities were very practical and based on life experiences and needs. This practice-oriented learning approach allowed participants to more easily understand and use what they learned. 

​They started the week by presenting themselves and others through a job interview exercise, and the intermediate group had also the opportunity to discuss different school systems. Then, working in pairs, they packed their luggage and planned visits to prepare a trip to different prime Italian locations. They got acquainted with the diverse and numerous Italian dialects and boosted their oral comprehension through listening practices. 

​Because ICT can be a great help to learn languages, the group got to learn vocabulary and make creative presentations about their hobbies using online tools, which at the same time gave them plenty of ideas for their own classes. They also got into the subject of food and cooking through translating recipes and recognising the names of ingredients needed for it. Moreover, they took some time to express themselves on the subject of public speaking and ways to make it better.

Finally, as something very crucial in society, time was also part of the program and gave the opportunity to talk about wishes, plans and dreams, which the participants turned into a nice bucket list in Italian. Let’s see if they will still use it in years to come!

All in all, both groups had a really fun and interactive time while making considerable progress in Italian! The participants came out of this experience not only richer in vocabulary but also in great memories and relationships.

Grazie di tutto! 

Discover more about this course here: https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/erasmus-italian-course.html